Oakland dentist hosts third annual day of free service

OAKLAND — All Aspects Dental in Oakland had one of its busiest days of the year last Friday, but the traffic didn’t generate any income.

This was the third year Dr. Charles Pike and the staff at All Aspects Dental offered a day on which patients could receive a free cleaning, filling or extraction.

Most of the patients who attend Free Dental Day do not have insurance and need financial help. Last year, the office provided more than $16,000 worth of treatment to 39 patients. 

“It is our obligation to give back to our community, and there are a lot of deserving people needing help,” Pike said. 

Citrus Tower Family Dental of Clermont and Clermont Endodontic Specialists also offered free services Aug. 14, for the first time. All Aspects Dental offered free crowns to patients treated at Clermont Endodontic Specialists. 

“I do think we’ll look to participate in events such as these in the coming years to help as many people as we can and educate them on the importance of lifetime oral health care,” said Dr. John Adkins of Citrus Tower Family Dental. 

There is a number of patients who have received a service at Free Dental Day and then continued to go to Pike’s office as regular patients, such as Kimberly Marshall, a resident of Clermont.

“I went last year at the last minute,” Marshall said. “I used to be petrified to go to the dentist, and now … to know that I’m in such good hands with Dr. Pike and his staff makes it a whole lot easier to go to the dentist than it used to be.”

Since last year, Marshall has gone to Pike’s office for cleanings, extractions, crowns and more.

“He’s pretty much done everything that he possibly can in my mouth,” she said.

Marshall said she used to pose for photos at a certain angle so that her bad teeth wouldn’t show. Now she is proud to look directly at the camera and show off her smile. 

“(Dr. Pike) has literally given me my smile back; I’m very thankful for him,” she said. 

Marshall said she has referred many of her friends to All Aspects Dental. She appreciates Pike’s bedside manner and personal interest in his patients’ well-being. 

Dentistry is a family trade for Pike: His parents and one of his grandparents also were dentists. He has been practicing in Central Florida since 2004.

“I believe in doing the most conservative dentistry with the most up-to-date technology,” Pike wrote on his website.

Pike also volunteers for the Special Olympics Special Smiles Dental Screening Initiative and the Orange County Dental Research Clinic.  He is a board member for the Winter Garden Rotary Club and Florida Citrus Sports. Making a difference in the lives of local students is also important to him: He is on the Student Advisement Committee for Cypress Ridge Elementary and Oakland Avenue Charter School. 

All Aspects Dental also gives back each year with its post-Halloween “Candy Buy Back.” The office pays children $1 per pound for their unopened Halloween candy, and the candy is shipped to U.S. soldiers overseas. 

Contact Catherine Sinclair at [email protected].